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How to Optimise Content for the Google Featured Snippet Box

2nd March 2018

The Google Featured Snippet Box, which allows increased brand exposure, has significantly altered the way in which SERPs are being presented. Despite the fact that many SEO experts were initially quite concerned that Featured Snippets would reduce the click-through-rate, they have fortunately had the opposite effect.

The question is; what do you need to do to ensure your content appears within them? Of course, it’s important to follow SEO best practise to ensure you rank high for a particular query, but there are other things to think about if you’d like to appear within a Feature Snippet Box. As Google have only released a small amount of information, we’d like to share our own advice to get you started.

Explicit Answers

Firstly you should be aware that the process of appearing in a Featured Snippet Box is carried out automatically, using the help of an algorithm. Essentially, if Google detects the answer to a question which has been asked in the search box it will allow you to feature. Consequently, it’s important that your content is optimised and suitably located so that Google can find it. When answering tricky questions, it’s likely that the answers will be fairly long. However, content that is over 2000 words is not particularly favourable as far as Featured Snippets are concerned so make sure your answers are explicitly clear and concise.

Use Subheadings

In cases where you need to write long-form content, it’s wise to break it down into rational subsections with headings. Google will then pick up the H2s and H3s and incorporate those into the Featured Snippet.

Understand Your Audience

It’s worth understanding your audience and what they might be asking about your niche so that you can sufficiently answer their queries. You could even consider asking them directly and monitoring social media in order to find out what sort of concerns your audience have regarding a certain topic. Make sure to think outside of the box; don’t just stick to simple questions as you’ll have a lot more competition.

Keyword Research

By using a traditional keyword research tool, you will start to develop a greater understanding of the type of questions a user might ask. You should bear in mind that several studies have suggested that most Featured Snippets are triggered by long-tail keywords, which tend to have very high conversion rates despite their lower search volume.

A lot of research and planning is required if you want to see any real results, but appearing in the Google Featured Snippet Box should motivate you to put in the effort. There’s no doubt that you’ll accomplish other key objectives along the way. If you have any tips and tricks of your own, please feel free to get in touch and share them!

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